A pile of sand, shovels, gloves and sandbags were the scene for a training event held for emergency managers at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Alma Marina Beneficial use site.
The St. Paul District provided hands-on training to the Wisconsin Emergency Management team during their West Central Region’s May meeting in Alma, Wisconsin.
Winona Resident Engineer Scott Baker and emergency operations response team members talked about sandbag protection by demonstrating how to properly fill and place sandbags for a temporary levee. They also learned how to build other types of flood barriers such as a flash board levee using ground stakes and plywood. Before finishing, Baker advised using a heavy plastic sheeting over the sandbags to protect the levee.
Baker said this type of training helps emergency managers build their skills needed to carry out flood responses in their community.
Corps officials also took advantage of this training event to produce a “how to make a sandbag levee” video for future use, which will be made available soon on YouTube.
The Alma Marina is a beneficial use site of river sand and is open and free to the public on a first come, first served basis.
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